Infantino promises continued FIFA investment in Africa ahead of presidential election

Gianni Infantino has sought to strengthen his support among Africa’s football associations by promising continued FIFA investment in the continent, just months before the organisation’s presidential election.

The FIFA president met the heads of all 54 African football associations in Cape Verde on Thursday, addressing them at an unprecedented seminar focused on the future of football in Africa.

According to French newspaper L’Equipe, Infantino’s speech had a distinctly political tone. The meeting came after his proposal to sell a share of the revenues from FIFA competitions was abandoned, and as he prepares for next year’s election.

“Being FIFA president, I am proud that, together with you, I have contributed to this revolution in African football over the past 10 years,” said the Italian-Swiss official.

Infantino highlighted the scale of FIFA’s spending since he was elected in 2016. He said the FIFA Forward programme had enabled $1bn to be invested in Africa over the past 10 years, through 124 projects and a range of other initiatives.

Appeal for dialogue

Without directly referring to the proposed sale of a share in FIFA competition revenues, which he dropped in July, Infantino called for dialogue with associations that had expressed reservations about the plan.

The proposal, which focused in particular on World Cup revenues, faced strong opposition in Europe and North America. That resistance led several associations in the two regions to withdraw their support for Infantino’s bid for another term in next year’s election.

“When concerns are raised, we have to respond to them,” Infantino said. “At FIFA, we always do that in a spirit of dialogue, with open arms, an open heart and an open mind. We can always do better.”

He also praised the development of African football, describing the participation of 10 teams from the continent at the most recent World Cup as “a success for all of Africa”.

Infantino promised that FIFA would continue searching for “the resources and the necessary increases in funding” to help African football progress and reach “the summit of world football”.

He urged the African football governing body to identify its priorities so that the continent could further strengthen its football structures and national teams.

The gathering gave Infantino an important platform as he seeks support before the election. The presidents of Africa’s 54 football associations account for more than a quarter of the votes in the FIFA presidential contest.